Burned into retina

JMT DAY 17 - EVOLUTION VALLEY AT SUNRISE

Evolution Valley at sunrise

Dawn arrived at Evolution Basin.

As the surroundings come into view more vividly, the stars in the heavenly body softly scattered into oblivion. The entire basin started coming back to life as the blue sky returned.

The ear-splitting sound of Evolution Lake outlet was stirring the void of the valley as the endless stream of freezing water was cascading 800 plus feet down below.

I slept quite well even when my campsite was only about ten yards away from the outlet. Although the night felt super short due to the fact that the moon was as bright as day, no deafening sound prevented me from falling asleep.

The intense sunrise glow soon descended on top of Emerald Peak and other adjacent peaks as if a veil of shadow was gently being pulled underneath. And soon the crest of the Hermit that overlooked the valley lit up in an orange flame.

As hypnotic as witnessing a red lunar eclipse, I just stood there transfixed at the glow as if it were burned into the retina of my eye.

Evolution Lake, Kings Canyon National Park, CA
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